Diagon Alley
by BronzeSilence
Summary: Al and Louis shop together in Diagon Alley for school supplies. While there, they must learn to keep their relationship secret...but will the ruse last? Sequel to the Ashwinder Incident. LW/ASP
1. Arrival at Diagon Alley

_Rating: T_

_Genre: Romance/Drama_

_Pairing: LW/ASP_

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**Diagon Alley**

Louis was the only one in his family to arrive at Charing Cross Road by Portkey, being the last of his immediate family to go to Hogwarts, sans Dominique. And as he was reasonably old enough to travel on his own, what being his final year, his parents hadn't needed to come with this time.

But it didn't matter. He wasn't shopping on his own. The rest of the Weasley clan would be arriving by Floo powder inside Diagon Alley and so he, with the five other French students who traveled alongside him, made their way through Charing Cross Road to the Leaky Cauldron, where the secret entrance to Diagon Alley awaited them.

A good handful of muggles that walked past him stared, even a few dared to turn back and stare a second time at him, which hadn't bothered Louis since he was eleven. Even muggles were aware of a Veela's allure, even if they didn't know why. Undeterred, he pressed forward with his small clan of wizards.

As they crossed the street, a small trio of muggles walked up to a robed wizard in their group and asked for the occasion of their attire. Louis was forced to stop alongside the recognized wizards as they politely explained that they worked for an amusement park, a believable and well-used lie. He wondered why his companions hadn't bothered to change into muggle clothes if they were arriving by Portkey onto a muggle street, but didn't bother. It was none of his business to ask.

Elegantly stuffing his fingers into his dark dress pants, he moved to the head of the group, wasting no time. There was someone who would be waiting for him and he'd rather not disappoint.

The barman inside the Leaky Cauldron didn't look up from cleaning the beer glasses with his wand as they walked in, the patrons neither looking up from their drinks at their arrival. However, a waitress, who began to walk back to the bar with empty tankards, immediately saw Louis and stopped, looking him with unabashed interest.

"May I help you, guys?" She directed more at Louis than the group. A few patrons called for more drinks but she ignored them in favor of the blond Weasley.

Louis briefly wondered if he fared more following in the back than leading as he answered. "We're just heading to Diagon Alley," He flashed his perfect white teeth and the waitress flushed.

"T-the entrance is over out in the back..." She stammered, pointing at the opposite end of the tavern, but they were already ahead of her, already knowledgeable of where the entrance was.

Walking out through the back, they approached a tall bricked wall that was smoky-colored and the stone smooth to the touch. Louis pulled out his wand and the group fell back to wait as he tapped the correct sequence of the bricks. Stepping back, the wall began to break from the middle, the stone bricks flipping continuously as it opened into a large chasm, revealing richly colored stores and a large, busy street.

As Louis walked through alongside the group, they dispersed, each going their own way. Some won't return to take the Portkey back like Louis, while the rest would meet up near the day's end to use the Portkey once again.

Checking his watch, Louis cursed in French. He was late for the meet up. Quickening his pace, he made for the _Gringotts Wizarding Bank_ where the meeting point was.

_Gringotts_ was situated somewhat in the first end of the narrow beginning of Diagon Alley, where it forked into two bigger streets. On the left street, Diagon Alley continues, but on the right, Knockturn Alley began. He had only been to Knockturn Alley once when he went with Uncle Harry and Uncle Ron. Having to find James who thought it'd be adventurous to take Albus and Rose out to 'explore' the place and getting into all sorts of trouble, it had not been an enjoyable experience.

Ignoring the sinister-looking alley on the right as he approached Gringotts, all negative thoughts vanished as he saw a lean dark haired boy sitting on the large steps. Louis' breath near escaped him.

"Al," He whispered, drinking in the sight of the teenage boy. The last time he saw Al was back at King's Cross months ago, which was his last vision of the boy before he returned back to France for the summer.

He watched as Rose came up behind Al and she mercilessly pulled his hoodie backwards, arguing at him about something as he toppled back. Louis had a sudden great view of Al's slightly exposed tummy as Rose lifted him up by his hoodie.

Louis' body tensed, obviously inclined to run up to Al and touch him, embrace him, do something that would alleviate the ache he had during the summer, despite the letters they constantly sent back and forth between each other. Nothing had compared to the real deal. His gaze turned ravenous. Not at all.

Al rose to his feet and then joined in the bickering with Rose. Louis was pleasantly surprised to find that Al had another good growth spurt during the summer. Even from a distance, Al seemed to have grown a few more inches, his shoulders a little more broader than before and his facial features a bit sharper. Even his beautiful green eyes seemed to have a more worldly edge to them.

The boy never ceased to astonish Louis with his never-ending sinew looks. He was getting more beautiful with every passing day.

Unable to just stand there like an idiot and stare, his legs finally decided to work with a renewed vigor, his blood singing with every step closer to his cousin.

Al finally gazed in Louis direction and his ill-tempered expression after his bantering with Rose disappeared and was replaced with one of a mixture of elation and excitement. He immediately started to run to shorten the distance between them faster. "Louis!"

Louis, expecting Al to stop when they finally met up, grunted in surprise when Al shamelessly embraced him, his arms immediately wrapping themselves and pressing through Louis' white dress shirt tightly. Some onlookers stared and though Louis couldn't care less who was watching, he understood the implications of it and regrettably, detached himself from Al. One fleeting embrace and yet Louis' body felt like it was on fire, hungering for something more, to take Al's sweet lips into his.

He closed his eyes and tried to breathe. His mind tried to count slowly to ease his body to relax, but the quickened beating in his chest kept going and Louis thought he'd suffocate from the lack of air.

Al looked at him, his expression in his eyes just as hungry as Louis' was. The abrupt touch wasn't enough for the boy either.

Louis smiled. "It's...nice to see you, Al." Though, he tried to convey more as he took in those green eyes, wanting to say how much he missed him, his silky hair, his soft skin. He said nothing else.

Al seemed to understand as his eyes flitted to the public around him and then focused his attention on Louis. "I missed you. A lot." His voice seemed to fall into a seductive whisper at those last words, which stirred something fierce in Louis' stomach.

Rose caught up with them and pouted at Louis, opening her arms childishly. "Where's my hug, cousin-dearest?" Louis laughed and accepted the hug. She had gotten more curvy as well and as he let her go, he subtly noticed a good few teenage boys stare in her direction as they walked.

They were growing up too fast. It was going to be difficult for Louis to keep the sharks at bay for sure now.

Rose's moment of childish elation over seeing her cousin again seemed to pass and she fell back onto business, folding her arms and stared at him. "You're late."

"_Je suis désolé_," He apologized purposefully in French, knowing that using the language around girls seemed to please them. Rose was not the exception as she sheepishly looked away. Al snickered from behind. "Someone from the Ministry screwed up the time for the Portkey to activate. We were stranded for an hour holding onto a dirty rag in the middle of an alley in Paris."

Al tried not to smile too much at the image and placed his hand gently on Louis' forearm in sympathy. Though Louis did not acknowledge it, his blood sang once again as the contact raced electricity through his veins. He wondered if Al was doing it on purpose.

"In any case," Rose pointed up to the heavy oak doors of _Gringotts_. "Almost everyone left to go shopping. But we stayed behind to wait for you. We're just waiting for Roxanne to come out. She's getting some gold right now. Uncle Percy and Aunt Audrey was here with Molly and Lucy-you know Molly's starting Hogwarts, right? They left a few minutes ago to buy her a wand. Uncle Harry and Mom took Hugo and Lily with them to shop-it was logically much easier for us to split up than go as one huge group and James is around here somewhere-"

Throughout her rambling, Al smiled secretly at Louis.

"Ah, Rose," He whispered. "She can get us up-to-date on anything."

A few minutes later and Roxanne reappeared, a bag of gold jingling as she bounded down towards them. "Ah, a fellow seventh year! I was starting to feel old for a minute, Louis."

"Likewise," Louis answered genially.

"Are you coming with us, you two?" Roxanne motioned her head to Louis and Al, her dreadlocks nicely moving with it. "Rose and I are heading to the new _RebelWitch_ shop to take a good look at it."

"_RebelWitch_ shop?" Al inquired.

"Yeah, my dad bought up a couple shops and merged them into the _RebelWitch_ shop. The _Weasley's Wizard Wheeze_ became overstocked with _WonderWitch_ products due to a huge demand for them," Roxanne explained smoothly. "He thought it'd be best to open up a second store solely for fashion, accessories, and et cetera to appease the witch demographic. He certainly complained a lot that his joke store was turning into a muggle lingerie section after Dominique's popularity in the _RebelWitch_ line. A sound business decision I say."

"Ah," Louis rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably at the idea of waiting for hours on end while his female cousins tried out hundreds of clothes. Al didn't seem to look thrilled at the idea too as if they were thinking the same thing.

Their responses clearly seen, Rose giggled. "I guess that's a 'no' then?"

Al shrugged, stuffing his hands into his jean pockets. "Nah, we need to go school shopping first," Louis noticed a strange glint in his green eyes. "Why don't we meet you guys later?"

Both girls shrugged back. "It's your loss," Roxanne teased. "You could've used a good pair of slim pants to accentuate those nice legs of yours." They both walked off, laughing at the bright flush that Al conjured up onto his face at her statement.

Al and Louis stood on the cobblestone silently for a moment or so. Despite the bustling hub of shoppers moving all around them, they ignored them, exclusively aware of how close yet far apart they were from each other.

"Why do I have the feeling that you planned this, little Slytherin?" Louis wondered softly, regarding Al with a more personal stare now that they were alone.

Al smiled sweetly, though his deceitful green eyes betrayed the ruse. "I want to be close to my favorite cousin. _Very_ close." The most scatterbrained person on the planet can easily hear the sex dripping from those words.

Louis discreetly swallowed, feeling his own temperature rise up. Nevertheless, he stared back, his eyes narrowing. He forced Al to stop by showing him the inhuman gleam in his blue eyes. "You shouldn't test me," He whispered hoarsely. "I won't be able to contain myself if I fail, _chaton_."

Al, nearly taken back by the full frontal force of Louis hungry gaze, looked away immediately and blushed somewhat at the nickname. "Sorry," He cleared his throat. "I forgot."

Louis closed his eyes and breathed. He had informed Al last year that being part Veela would have you become more receptive to sexual responses than a regular wizard, especially when the feeling was mutual. Sort of the counterbalance of the Veela creature: easy to attract mates, but less susceptible to control yourself when you do pick a mate.

When Victoire was on the verge of maturity, (and when their father started throwing curses at her admirers on a daily basis when they crowded up the front porch of their home), their mother sat them all down one morning to talk about the effects the hormones would have on a Veela's body; about how they would subconsciously create a pheromone that would attract potential mates. While they knew about that already, their mother also notes that when a Veela finds a mate they are willing to court, their self-control dwindles, their bodies more susceptible to sexual stimuli from the potential mate and become extremely dangerous when jealous.

After using an example of their great-grandmother who nearly scratched the eyes out of a milk maid who flirted with their great-grandfather, Louis spent the rest of the day horrified at the idea of turning into a monstrous harpy.

During his musing, his body returned to a somewhat calm and normal state, the tenseness of his shoulders subsiding. Al waited patiently and somewhat guiltily over what he did, but soon perked up when Louis turned to give him a reassuring smile.

Merlin, even being in the same presence as Al was driving Louis crazy. "Where to first, _chaton_?"

Ecstatic at the continued endearments, Al smiled brightly which made Louis' chest to tighten at the sight.

"_Madam Malkin's_ is the closest," Al motioned with his hand for Louis to walk with him. "I need a new set of robes anyways."

Nodding, Louis matched pace with the younger boy, staying as close as possible at Al's side without attracting attention. Al acknowledged this by the dimming of his smile.

"_Je veux tenir votre main_," Al whispered against the large chattering of people. Louis felt the familiar warmth of Al's fingers brush against his wrist and Louis had to keep himself from reaching forward to grasp it, appealing to Al's desire to do so.

"I know." Louis whispered hoarsely.

_TBC..._


	2. Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions

_Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions _was in its busy stage of the day. Store clerks ran to and fro between customers carrying fabrics and measuring equipment and the noise level of whining and excited customers filled the air.

A store clerk immediately saw the two boys and walked up to them, the magical measuring tape tapping her shoulder impatiently. She swatted it away.

"'Nough of dat!" She snapped shortly, her thick Scottish accent breaking the noise background of the English customers. "Off wit' ye, aye said 'OFF WIT' YE', yeh bloody snake!" As the tape reluctantly flopped down at her command, she acknowledged them. "Ah, me name's Mckenna, 'ow may aye serve ye today?"

Louis smiled pleasantly, taking over Al's shocked expression over the large frenzy. "We need to get fitted for a new set of robes, please."

She waved them forward, righting her uniform and rolled up her uneven sleeves. "Ah'll get ye measured first. Righ' dis way, gents, righ' dis way! An' ye little Runespore!" She regarded the hovering measuring tape. It flopped down in shame. "Ye betta get yer act togetha' or ah'll use ye for a Christmas ornament, ye hear me?" It nodded sheepishly which satisfied her.

Louis pressed his hand against Al's lower back and gently pushed him forward as they walked. Al shot him a warm smile.

"Quite busy today, aren't you?" Louis moved the conversation along as they walked, bypassing many young students excitedly trying on robes. Madam Malkin herself was busy fitting two customers at once.

Mckenna made a so-so motion with her hand. "Ah, ah've dealt wit' worse. It _is_ near close to da next school year afta' all."

They made it towards the back where large mirrors overtook their profiles. Mckenna brandished her wand and flicked it at the measuring tape. "Who's firs'?"

Hand still resting on Al's lower back, Louis pushed him forward. He tried not to look amused when Al pouted at him. Nevertheless, he went first.

Mckenna flicked her wand twice and the measuring tape quickly began measuring his body, pausing only for a moment in each interval so Mckenna can write down the appropriate measurements. Satisfied, she flicked her wand once more and the measuring tape stopped itself from measuring the circumference of Al's head.

"Aye told ye not ta go overboard, didn't aye?" She waved her wand menacingly. The tape nodded sullenly and stopped, dropping onto the floor beside Al in a small heap.

After writing up Louis' measurements with a new set of measuring tape (with Mckenna muttering bitterly about the relative uselessness of having the tapes enchanted in the first place), she collected the measurements and reread them.

"Okay, then!" She started writing something on the parchment with her quill, before addressing them. "Hogwarts 'as recently allowed our noble shop ta carry around House uniforms fer students, 'oping ta decrease da workload o' their house elves. Would ye consider ta buy House uniforms as well?"

Louis and Al nodded. With a nod, she licked the tip of her quill before continuing. "Which 'ouses are ye in?"

"Ravenclaw," Louis answered politely before nudging Al. "And he's Slytherin."

"Very good, very good," She quickly wrote it up. "Standard robes and Hogwarts uniforms for da both o' ye, is dat correct?"

They both nodded.

She made another note. "We'll discuss quantity afta' we get ye fitted then. Ah'll be back wit' da appropriate robes."

Al nodded shortly. A plan suddenly forming in his head, Louis made to grab a random bit the fabric from the rack as Mckenna proceeded to walk off with the measurements. "Can he try something on in the dressing room while we wait?" Louis showed Mckenna the fabric in question.

She shrugged, but her eyebrow raised when she glanced at the item in question. "Aye. It may take o' bit of time anyways." And with that, she left.

Al raised an eyebrow of his own as Louis beckoned him into a large dressing room which was spacious enough to fit them comfortably. "What was that all about?" Al asked as Louis locked the door, dropping the fabric on the wooden bench.

"Properly greeting you," Louis whispered softly. Al picked up the garment with a frown.

"You do realize that this is a witch's dress robe, right? And its pink, for Merlin's-" Unable to wait any longer, Louis finally broke the awkward distance between them by pressing their bodies together. Taking full advantage of Al's stunned movements, he kissed him.

Al was promptly shocked for a moment before eagerly participating, dropping the offending garment. He ran his fingers through Louis' hair and moaned when the kiss deepened even more.

"Shh..." Louis briefly broke the kiss and murmured contentedly against Al's lips. "People can _hear_."

The rush of being caught sent the boy almost over the edge, whimpering slightly when Louis took the brief hesitance into pressing Al further against the dressing room wall, partaking in his lips again.

Of course, Louis needed to be very careful with not just appearances, but for his own moral code as well. Al was still young by any standard and he would curse himself before he took advantage of his beloved, even if it was well-meaning. So when Al pressed his lower body against his in obvious need, Louis had to fight every amount of will-power in his consciousness to not press back.

Deciding to move the passion along to comfortable waters, Louis paid special attention to not only Al's lips but the rest of his face, breaking the kiss to shower gentle ones over his cheeks, jaw and comfortably settled at the cusp of the boy's neck, sucking at it softly.

Al began to whine at the lack of contact and tried to thrust upward as his hormones obviously flooded his instincts, but Louis would have none of that. He used his strength to hold Al's hips and keep him from trying to initiate contact.

Of course, Al vocalized his protest. "Come on...why?"

Louis reluctantly pulled himself way from Al's neck and tried to reason with him by kissing him again. "You know why," He whispered sternly before cutting off Al's protests with his lips. Giving up, Al allowed the heavy makeout session, happy at least to enjoy Louis' warmth and his sweet kisses.

A few more minutes of sweet bliss and Louis released himself from Al, allowing himself a final nip at Al's now swollen lips before moving aside to compose themselves. Al ran his fingers through his hair when Louis swiftly disappeared outside as Mckenna appeared. Her arms were heavy with the appropriate garments.

"How ye doin' so far?" Mckenna carefully set the clothes on an empty rack. "Ye find anythin' ye like?"

"Not at the moment," Louis carried on calmly as she pulled out the standard robes. "My cousin's just composing himself. He was utterly _ravished_ by how large the price was on a particular set of robes." Grinning sweetly, he thought he heard a loud coughing noise from Al's stall, but paid no mind.

Mckenna nodded, unable to catch whatever Louis' undercurrent response. "Ah, we do have some expensive fabrics on da line o' course." When Al reappeared, she clapped her hands once. "Let's get started, shall we?"

Starting on the standard robes, she fitted Al first, making notes on which parts of it was too long before taking it back so she could hem it. After pinning the sleeves, she relinquished Al to fit Louis.

After that was done, they proceeded in trying their uniforms, having to visit the dressing stalls to put on the slacks and white dress shirt before trying on everything else. Pinning everything that needed to be hemmed from the vest to the slacks, she took everything and retreated, informing that she'll match up the size from the standard robes to the uniforms'. After asking how many in quantity they desired, she left them.

"_You've gotten bigger_," Louis said in French, his smile widening when Al blushed as he finished squeezing his hoodie back on. "_You're growing up very quickly._"

It was an unspoken tradition between them to speak in French if they talked about their relationship openly. The odds of someone in Britain understanding French were quite good for them in the Wizarding world. When they were children, they talked in French constantly. With the exception of Louis' father, Rose and Al were the only notable members of the Weasley family to try and learn a second language. Though, Rose was desired to learn Bulgarian after Victor Krum and his family visited her immediate family during the holidays.

Al's eyes darkened a bit as he answered in French back. "_But is it quick enough?_"

Louis' smile dimmed. "_I believe we both agreed to wait until your sixth year, kitten._"

"_Almost all of my mates have already done it, Louis_," Al tried to reason desperately, his French slipping. "_They've done it loads of times too!_"

"But they're not in a delicate relationship with their much older and _male_ cousin," Louis shut the argument down and returned to English. He regarded his beloved sincerely. "We have so much left to lose, Al, if we don't take care." Al's angered expression softened at the look. "_Je ne désire pas vous perdre. _But I don't want to lose our family as well if I can help it."

Al's green eyes wandered down and he slowly nodded. "_It's hard_," He continued in French. "_I just want to be with you like every other couple._"

Louis nodded as well and discretely brushed his hand down Al's back comfortingly, angry at being unable to do more than that in public. "It's hard for me too, _chaton_."

Another twenty minutes passed before she returned, their clothes already wrapped and ready to go.

_TBC..._


	3. Slug and Jitters Apothecary

"You know," Albus stared at his now shrunken parcel courtesy of Louis' wand before stuffing it into his pocket. "I can see why a lot of wizards prefer muggle wear over traditional stuff. We don't really have good taste in fashion."

"_Diminuendo_," Louis whispered as he shrunk his own baggage down. He looked up. "How so?"

Al smirked slightly, his eyes shamelessly trailing up and down Louis' profile. "Take your muggle attire for instance. It accentuates your body nicely. Now, if you were wearing standard robes, you can hardly see a thing."

Louis chuckled, subtly eying Al's form fitting jeans and hoodie. "You may have a point. Perhaps a trip down a muggle store is in order one day?"

"Can we go to one in Paris?" Al asked excitedly. Louis smiled.

"Sure."

Remembering that he needed to stock up for his Potions NEWT class, they embarked towards _Slug and Jitters Apothecary_.

The store was the complete opposite in atmosphere as _Madam Malkin's_. It was more dimmed, with few candles illuminating the tall shelves of strange to the most exotic ingredients. While there were a good handful of people around the front, picking up the standard ingredients for school, Louis and Al had to venture deeper into the venue for the more obscure ingredients for Louis' advanced class.

Louis pulled out his parchment to list off the ingredients while Al scrunched up his nose.

"This place always smells horrible," Al pinched his nose and looked at a jar of warthog snouts. "And I didn't know Curse Breakers needed to have a NEWT in Potions."

The blond lowered the parchment down a bit and examined a jar of bright blue pixie dust. "You need to know a good deal of potions if you accidentally get cursed," He reasoned. "Though, being a Curse Breaker is not my only option for a career."

Al looked at Louis quizzically. "It isn't?"

Louis shrugged. "My father has remarked that jobs for Curse Breakers have become sparse these days due to the good economy. Gringotts have such a huge influx of gold in the past few years that they've put tomb raiding on the back burner because of it."

"So..." Al tugged at the hem of his hoodie. "What's your other option?"

"Mediwizard."

"That's not bad at all," Al smiled. "Merlin knows we need that in the family with James' unlucky streak!"

A small smirk spread across Louis' face. "I'll have to charge him for my services, then. I'm just surprised we haven't had a family healer yet after James was born."

They both laughed, which seemed to lighten up the rather dank atmosphere of the store.

"And you?" Louis wondered as they pulled out a jar of boomslang skin from a neighboring shelf. "Will you become an Auror like Uncle Harry?"

Al seemed hesitant for a moment before answering. "James wants to be an Auror, but he's rubbish at defensive spells. Scorpius took him on during our last Dueling Club session and he lost horribly. And may I remind you that we're two years his junior?" He picked up a fluorescent green bottle of Kelpie blood and frowned as strange particles floated to the top.

Louis set the bottle of boomslang skin down. "You're pretty good at dueling, Al. You won Dueling Champion in your year's group two years straight so far. And I won't be surprised to see you win it this year as well. It'll look good in your Auror resume."

Al grimaced. "That's just it, Louis. That's all I'm good at. All I want to do is duel-no, I want to do more than just compete in a Wizard's Duel," He looked at Louis meaningfully. "I want to be a Warlock."

Louis blinked, Al's words slowly dawning on him. He stared the blushing boy, shock overtaking him.

"Al," Louis started slowly, deliberately choosing his words. "Becoming a full-blown wizard is one thing, but to become a Warlock is another. You spend years devoted to martial magic, let alone the most complicated defensive spells. They're notorious for being not just the most competent duelists out there, but the most dangerous. You do realize that the title is now more of a sport than a lifestyle, right?"

"I know that," Al said, staring stubbornly not at Louis, but at a jar of griffin eyes. "But I want to compete internationally. I want to do more than just throw spells at opponents while standing in one place. I want to use my body to fight, not just martial magic. To learn kinetic magic...remember Ludwig von Hortia in the last Warlock Tournament? He used kinetic magic by concentrating a stunning spell around his fist and _punched_ his opponent out! They don't teach you that in Hogwarts."

Still stunned at Al's vivacity on the subject, Louis could only quietly ponder those words. He was unaware of how much Al enjoyed dueling, believing that he only went to Dueling Club to prove that he could duel like his father. "I'm just surprised. You never told me you wanted to be a Warlock."

Al blushed. "Well, you never told me you planned on being a Mediwizard. So I think we're even."

Louis had to smile at that. "_Touché_."

"And this is quite perfect actually," Al responded, quite chipper over how agreeable Louis was with his career choice. "When I'm a famous Warlock, I'll get beat up quite a bit, so I'll need a Mediwizard lover to take care of me."

"Somehow, I don't find it 'quite perfect' if you end up getting hurt a good number of times and I'll have to patch you up," Louis frowned slightly. "In fact, I don't like the sound of you getting hurt at all."

Al pouted. "An Auror gets hurt a lot too and you agreed with it."

"But your father will be there to make sure you don't," Louis countered. "What will he say if you told him you wanted to be a Warlock?"

"He'd probably have the same expression on his face if I told him that you and I have been happily snogging for the past year or so," Al joked, but quickly backpedaled at the horrified look on Louis' face. "Not that I'm going to tell him about us, of course!"

"Al..." Louis regarded him seriously. "I don't want you to get hurt."

The dark haired boy smiled at him serenely. "You can't protect me forever, Louis. You, my parents, the family...I'm going to have to grow up one day."

Louis slowly nodded, finding truth in those words. Making sure that no one was in the vicinity, he reached forward to caress Al's cheek. "Remember when you once told me that you'd cry if I loved anyone else but you?" Al nodded. "If anything happens to you, I wouldn't cry. I'd follow after you." Al shivered, seemingly aware of Louis' cryptic words.

"I promise," Al breathed. "I'll take care of myself."

Satisfied with that answer, Louis slowly pulled his hand away from Al and returned to his list.

"I'll need another few more ounces of bicorn horn," He whispered, rather stiff in his movements. The idea of Al becoming a Warlock unnerved him more than he thought. Warlocks were sparse now, only used for sport or to keep an old tradition going by learning old martial magic. Those who called themselves Warlocks rather than Wizards had reason to. They used magic to fight and win.

Or die trying.

A shiver rose up from Louis' spine up to his neck, his hair standing on end. That's what Al desired? To be a fighter? He always seemed like he couldn't hurt a fly. Compared to other members of their family, Al was the least confrontational. It's like James saying that he wants to become a History of Magic professor because he enjoyed the monotonous droning of goblin wars from Professor Binns.

Al followed him to the next shelf and gingerly hugged Louis' arm, which lessened the stiffened feeling.

"I think it's up there," Al pointed to the fourth tiered shelf with his free arm. "Next to...yuck, that bottle of dragon sweat...might as well say, '_Uncle Charlie's body odor_'..."

His smile returning and his mind pushing such terrifying thoughts away, Louis reached for the jar and nearly dropped it when a voice echoed from far off.

"Al? Is that you?" Al immediately let go of Louis' arm and turned to where the voice came from, puzzled at the recognition.

A girl around Al's age was waving at them and bounded toward them, her thick hazelnut curls bouncing behind her.

Louis stiffened again when she threw her arms around Al and held him tight, with Al who seemed poised to spring backwards from the assault. When she finally relinquished her hold on him she practically gazed at the dark haired boy with unabashed interest.

"I know you," Al tilted his head to the side. "You're from Lily's year. Jennabrie...Glenn?"

She beamed at him, positively delighted that he remembered her name. "Jennabrie's such a mouthful. Everyone calls me Jenna."

"Ah," Al motioned to Louis. "This is my cousin, Louis. He's a seventh year." Louis nodded stiffly, but said nothing else.

Her smile widened. "Shut up! Are you really?" Louis frowned at the words.

"Pardon?"

"It's just a saying meaning an expression of disbelief," Al clarified. "Lily's been saying that a lot as well. Mom nearly used a silencing spell on her a week ago cause she wouldn't stop."

"So...what electives are you taking? Or are you still planning on keeping the same ones as last time?" Jenna asked sweetly, focusing all her attentions on Al, while Louis politely excused himself to finish his potions checklist.

By the time he finished acquiring all the needed ingredients, he returned to find Al still chatting with Jenna, the likes of which made his blood boil at the sight.

Remembering what happened to the milk maid who flirted with his great-grandfather, he hid behind a tall shelf to breathe. The last thing he wanted was to scratch out a twelve year old girl's eyes just because she was talking to his boy.

She let out a rather loud flirtatious giggle and Louis forced himself to look. Al hung back a bit as she leaned forward and whispered something that Louis couldn't hear. After she rested her hand against his arm, Louis saw red.

Retreating from hiding, he moved with a purpose, unable to stop himself. Al flinched in surprise, away from Jenna's touch as Louis approached them, his blue eyes blazing.

"Did...did you get everything you needed?" Al smiled nervously, taking in Louis' smile in response which bordered on murderous.

"Indeed," He answered rigidly, forcing himself between him and Jenna, much to the girl's confusion. "We should get going now."

The girl pouted. "But..."

Al smiled apologetically at her. "Sorry...I'll see you at school." He barely could get anything else in edgewise as Louis grabbed Al's arm and steered him towards the register.


	4. Obscurous Books

"Jeez, jealous much?" Al accused him as they made their way to _Obscurous Books_. He then appeared thoughtful. "Though, I kind of like it."

Louis pressed forward. "I wasn't jealous. I was merely trying to make better use of our time to pick up supplies than to chat. We're only partway through."

Al rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Louis." He looked at their approaching destination. "Why aren't we heading to _Flourish and Blotts_ like we usually do?"

Opening the door, which let out a small chime, he let Al through. "It's noon. _Flourish and Blotts_ will be crowded now and I'd rather do my shopping in peace."

While the store was still filled with people, it was nowhere as crazy as _Flourish and Blotts_. _Obscurous Books_ carried the required books from Hogwarts, but also added extra special interests books one couldn't find anywhere in Diagon Alley. So, when Al stared interestingly at a thick-covered copy of _Spellman's Syllabary_, Louis knew they'd pick well.

He sauntered up behind his unsuspecting cousin and smiled. "I see you're still taking Ancient Runes. I must admit, it's not really my strong suit in comparison to Arithmancy. "

Startled, Al nearly spun out of instinct, but his back was pressed quite nicely against Louis' chest. He blushed. "I like the class. It's one of the few I'm actually good at."

"But, _Spellman's Syllabary_? _Advanced Rune Translation_?" Louis stared down at Al quizzically. "These are advanced tomes. It's only been a year since you took the class."

The boy shifted uncomfortably. "You know our Ancient Runes professor, Professor Fehr?" When Louis nodded, Al tapped the shelf awkwardly. "I wasn't supposed to tell anyone but...he picks his students for his research...you know, the ones he sees the most potential in this subject. We've been experimenting with Rune magic."

Louis raised an eyebrow. "_Rune magic_...?"

"It used to be just a theory," Al continued. "Any student who wrote the extracurricular assignment on Rune magic theory was selected to join this group. I've read dozens of books that I can grab my hands on from the subject. Aunt Hermione even lent me her theory on runes on one occasion. It's more than just translating pictures from a wall, Louis," His green eyes blazed heavily on Louis. "It's the ability to conjure _Signs_."

Racking his brain over the word, Louis vaguely understood the term. "Specialized wandless magic? Al, Signs have been made obsolete after wizards and witches managed to center their magic on their wands. No one really needs to conjure a spell with signing anymore."

"I agree," Al responded haughtily. "But it's not the traditional signs I'm referring to. Professor Fehr wants us to try and tap into elemental magic-to manipulate the environment around them. So far, we've been experimenting with a few signals, but," He sighed. "Not even the most simplest spell seemed to work. The only thing keeping us from packing the project up altogether is that our magic is indeed being fed through the sign, its just we haven't figured out the catalyst towards actually summoning it."

Louis mulled this around in his head before wondering aloud. "Is it okay to tell me this? Sounds like you guys are keeping this quiet." But Al immediately nodded.

"I trust you. Just wait 'til it works! You know how much of an advantage I'd get if I added Sign magic to my Warlock arsenal? I'd be unstoppable!" Louis smiled as Al pumped his fist into the air.

"You know..." Louis walked away from Al to procure a copy of _Numbers in Advanced Spell Configuration_, one of his required texts for his Arithmancy NEWT class. He showed it to Al.

"Arithmancy might do you better than Care of Magical Creatures if you're actually serious about Sign magic."

Al looked at the book in temptation before answering. "True, but you know Ginatia Armstrong? She's in our group and she's taking the Arithmancy NEWT class with you as well. So are a few others. I'm one of the few who's planning on continuing Magical Creatures. Professor Fehr said that the class is just as important as Arithmancy because Ancient Runes deals with numbers in magical creatures. It's like, Magical Creatures are the translated numbers of Sign building from one end and Arithmancy forms the equations for it. So we need both classes."

"Fair enough," Louis conceded, taking the book as his own as they search for Al's appropriate school books. "You know, I think Aunt Hermione might shed tears of joy if she found out what you guys are up to." Al made a small noise of agreement as they visited the Defense Against the Dark Arts aisle.

Louis privately watched as Al gazed hungrily at the shelves, which contents seem to extend greater than any other subject, with the exception of general spell books. Some were in a different language while others looked worn and dusty.

"What do you think?" Al asked, his fingers running along the spines on advanced counterjinxes. Louis swallowed uncomfortably at how teasingly Al did it. "Should I get _Verus Lux lucis Arts_? _Advanced Spells against the Darkness_? Or something a little more philosophical, _Gray Morality and the Path of Magical Decision_?"

"I think..." Louis reached over Al's shoulder to pull out a rather new book as opposed to the tomes he suggested. "That the required reading for your year is _this_."

Al stared at _The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection_ with an unimpressed look. "I've already read that," He pointed out. "I've read _all_ of the required books. And then some."

Louis returned the book to its proper place and moved to find his own year's Defense book. "You really serious about being a Warlock, aren't you?"

"Of course," Al breathed as he resumed his browsing over at a more shady corner of the aisle. "And..." He looked down slightly. "You're the only person I've told about it. I haven't even mention anything to Rose or Scorpius. They think I'm still undecided."

Touched by Al's statement, he stopped searching in order to move closer to the boy and give him a reassuring smile. "I'm glad you told me sooner than later. It'll give me more time to process it."

Al shrugged. "If you are bothered by it, my dad's going to go through the roof when I eventually tell him." His expression darkened. "Uncle Ron says that Warlocks are unfeeling mercenaries-for-hire who fight and don't care of the consequences. And dad says Lord Voldemort was an accomplished Warlock."

"Ah..." Louis brushed a bit of hair from Al's face. "You're torn about your decision."

The boy nodded, his gaze permanently on a copy of _Mental Protection Against Skilled Legilimens_. "It...just feels right, you know? I read up all I can about Warlocks and everything seemed to fit for me. More than any other. But, they're not so popular ever since the end of Lord Voldemort's second reign. Professor Charon even called the term barbaric in this age."

"You know," Louis whispered so quietly that Al had to lean in to hear. "Your namesake was an accomplished Warlock, if I recall correctly. Albus Dumbledore was a Warlock by title."

Al lightened up quickly at his words. "I didn't know that!" Louis chuckled and moved away to find his textbook again.

"Must be destiny," He continued. Finding the book, he reached over and pulled it out before gesturing Al to pick a title already. "And Severus Snape was considered a formidable duelist as well."

Smiling, Al pulled out not one, but three books and followed Louis towards the Transfiguration section. "What a brilliant argument! I can use that when mum starts going into shock when I eventually tell them!"

A strange glint reflected from the corner of Louis' eye and he stopped, curious to find the source of the light. Al nearly crashed into him.

"Ouch...why'd you stop?" Al peered in the direction Louis was referring to. "Yuck, Divination? Seriously?"

Realizing that the glint came from a rather old and dusty crystal ball placed on a pedestal at the end of the Divination aisle, he walked toward it for closer inspection. Satisfied, he turned to Al and shrugged, watching as Al decided to stare down the Divination books instead.

"Lily's considering Divination," Al pointed out grimly as he stared at _Unfogging the Future_. "She finds it fascinating."

Louis lips thinned at the rather large tome of _Prophesies and True Seers _sitting next to the crystal ball.

His mother considered the subject of Divination unreliable, the rare something both she and Aunt Hermione wholly agreed with. His Aunt Gabrielle, on the other hand, found the study rather beautiful in context. "I suppose Lily, like many other young girls, find the subject romantic and mystical. Crystal balls, tea leaves, Tarot reading..."

"Dad and Uncle Ron calls it a load of hogwash," Al responded bluntly. "James also said that Professor Trelawney's a bit of a nutter."

Louis didn't answer to that, remembering how Aunt Gabrielle would read his daily Tarot whenever he visited her as a young boy. When he discovered how undependable the subject was in real life, she merely informed him that it was fun to practice. True Divination, on one hand, can only be unlocked by a true Seer and, like Metamorphmagus wizards, one can only be born with it and can't be readily taught.

"You never know," Louis finally broke the silence after his musing. "Maybe Lily might be good at it. Remember when she predicted that the Ballycastle Bats would win the World Cup by two-hundred and twenty points? She said it before the season even started."

Al frowned at the memory. "I forgot about that. She was only five at the time, though. And James said she accidentally ingested a bit of Aunt Hermione's 'experimentally-enhanced' Oculus Potion beforehand. Merlin did mum give him a beating for not watching her..." His eyes suddenly looked rather intently on a copy of _Hieroglyphs of Egyptian Divinity _and pointed at it. "Is this informative for runes at the least?"

Louis pulled it out of the shelf and leafed through it, with Al leaning against him, having the excuse to do so. They both frowned at an illustrated page of a Seer showing a terrified Pharaoh his future using kohl from her own eyes. Another page suggested that hieroglyphs were not branded on tombs to tell a story, but to inform a Seer who only they could truly understand its real cryptic interpretation.

"I don't think so," Louis concluded, shutting the book and returning it back to it's proper place. "I guess you never judge a book by its cover...or it's title."

"Unless you wonder why its put on the hogwash shelf," Al supplied, sharing a grin with Louis. Backing up from the Divination shelf, Al accidentally knocked over the pedestal holding the crystal ball.

His reflexes kicking in, Louis managed to catch it before it shattered onto the wood floor. Al whistled in response.

"Nice catch!"

Composing himself, Louis raised an eyebrow at him. "I know you despise Divination, _chaton_, but it doesn't give you the unconscious right to destroy items relating to it." The ball in his hand started to fog over as Al sputtered a retort.

Noticing the change, Al pointed at it. "Did you shake that or something? It's all foggy and stuff."

Looking down at it, Louis frowned and held it up for closer inspection. "Huh, would you look at that?"

A hazy figure flickered in and out of the fog inside the glass as he stared at it. He suddenly became acutely aware of Al's presence as he closed in to see as well.

"See anything?" Al wondered aloud, tapping at the glass. "All I see is smoke."

The figure phased out completely before Louis can look closer. Shrugging, he set it back down on the pedestal. "It's called scrying," Louis informed the boy, polishing his fingerprints off the ball with his sleeve. "They say that you see something in the smoke and you have to interpret it as such. Mostly to predict the future."

It was Al's turn to raise an eyebrow, peering suspiciously at the crystal ball. "Did you see anything?"

"Of course," Louis responded smoothly in a half-lie, boldly reaching out to run his fingers down Al's spine, which caused the boy to tense and shiver deliciously at the touch. "I saw a short, but dark and handsome young man knocking down a crystal ball and _actually_ breaking it. And then, I had to pay for the object."

Al pouted. "Doesn't sound like a premonition to me. Sounds more like an alternative outcome...which already passed, mind you."

Louis chuckled. "Of course, I saw that after I paid for it, I took the boy into the nearest abandoned alley way to properly _punish_ him."

Staring for a moment, Al promptly turned around and walked back towards the Divination aisle.

"Where are you going?" Louis blinked as Al turned momentarily to give him a rather mischievous grin.

"Making sure that your prediction comes true."

_TBC..._


	5. Magical Menagerie

A good portion of the afternoon was spent shopping for the remaining school supplies. Deciding to browse the _Magical Menagerie_, Al immediately shot after the cages, looking at the cats.

"Louis!" Al cooed over a large cage filled with kittens, some half asleep and others playing with each other. "Come see!"

Louis stood beside Al and looked at them quietly as the boy poked his fingers through the bars in the hopes of playing with one. Some were tabbies with orange fur and others were fluffy and of different colors.

"I want one!" Al grinned as he managed to rub a kitten's tummy. "Can we get one?"

"I don't think that's wise," Louis dissuaded, though the thought of buying one crossed his mind once or twice. "Persephone might not appreciate having a cat near her cage."

"Oh, right," The thought of a cat trying to attack Al's white hawk seemed to snap him out of his trance. "But she's still young. Maybe they can get along? C'mon, you know you want one! They're adorable!"

Louis chuckled. "I already have a _chaton_." He leaned close and pulled gently at a stray piece of Al's hair. "He's got green eyes and the softest black hair...and if I buy another kitten, he'll get awfully jealous if I don't pay attention to him." Al's eyes darkened with desire.

"That's a pity," Al whispered, unintentionally licking his lips. "But I envy that kitten who has your undivided attention, Louis."

Louis smiled, his fingers relinquishing Al's hair so they can trace the boy's lips. Regretfully, he stopped. "Oh, yes...he has my entire attention. Though, I sometimes wonder if he's getting too spoiled from it."

"Hey!" Al stuck his tongue out at him. They left the kittens to examine a pair of tussling fire crabs which caused a spectacle in the shop as people raced to see.

As the shopkeeper waved the crowd to disperse as his assistant carefully detached the fire crabs from each other, Al proceeded to look at a large display of multicolored newts when a rather haughty voice startled him.

"Well, well, if it isn't Dueling Champion, Potter? Planning on conquering the entire shop so you can amass an army of cute critters to rule the Wizarding World?"

"Malfoy," Al growled, which Louis found utterly adorable. They both turned to see Scorpius with a rather impressive black falcon on his gloved arm. Al stared back at him with a disinterested scowl. "Don't you have Hufflepuffs to terrorize?"

Scorpius stuck his nose up. "I would, if they didn't have the gall to follow me around like a bunch of horny nifflers!" Al broke his false glare to grin at him broadly.

"Why do you have Hades with you today, Scorp?" Scorpius pouted for a moment before composing himself, the falcon let out a short caw at the sound of his name and fluttered pompously.

Scorpius hushed Hades with a stern tone before answering. "If you must know, I had to pick him up today," His tone then changed from arrogant to tentative. "You know what happened to Hades."

Al sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and turned to Louis. "Hades got the bird flu," He informed him. "Scorpius spent hundreds of galleons towards getting him treatment."

Louis nodded in understanding, knowing how important it was for Scorpius to keep his falcon healthy. He remembered the story of Al and Scorpius' familiars and what it meant between the two families.

When Al and Scorpius informed their parents that they conjured up a strong friendship by their second year, Louis remembered how Uncle Harry was a bit apprehensive about the idea until Aunt Hermione had to use her sound logic to kick both him and Uncle Ron to their senses.

As a traditional peace offering between wizarding families, Uncle Harry bought Scorpius a black falcon while Mr. Malfoy bought Al a white hawk. To present familiars between members of both families was a custom wrapped in magical antiquity. So long as the familiars remained alive and healthy-that they were loved and taken care of, good fortune and peace would bind the participating families.

Since then, the two families have remained distant, but still good acquaintances with each other due to their children.

"He's all better now in the least," Scorpius bent his elbow so Al could pet Hades' shiny, dark feathers. It bent its head in an obvious subdued delight. "I had to keep him in this awful place for a year, but it was worth it."

"That's fantastic," Al smiled. "Persephone's been missing you a lot, you know?" He responded to the falcon, which Hades began to preen his feathers at her name. "She keeps denying it, but you know how she is." Scorpius grinned when Hades cawed indignantly.

"Wouldn't it be brilliant if Hades and Persephone had chicks?" Scorpius said excitedly when Al responded with a similar one. Hades squawked in surprise, his head sharply turning between the two boys in obvious confusion. "They'd be the most good-looking familiars this side of the English Channel!"

"Is that even possible?" Al wondered, before turning to stare at Louis for an answer. "Falcons and hawks can mate together, right?"

Louis looked up a bit before answering tentatively. "That's...a good question. I'm not so sure about that."

Gratefully, the subject was dropped when Mr. Malfoy and his wife appeared behind Scorpius. Scorpius turned absently at them.

"Mum, father," He addressed formally. "Guess who's here."

Mr. Malfoy nodded stiffly at Albus and Louis. "Afternoon."

"Good afternoon, sir...ma'am," Al smiled as sweetly as possible. Mrs. Malfoy smiled more warmly at him.

"It is a pleasure seeing you again, Albus," She responded, her voice lilting with a melodious tune. "How is your family?"

"Great!" Al chirped. He immediately reached for Louis when Mrs. Malfoy stared at the blond curiously. "This is my cousin, Louis."

Mrs. Malfoy blinked, obviously trying to find some familial similarity between them. Mr. Malfoy was subtly doing the same, his gray eyes sizing them up critically. Catching on to his parents' silence, Scorpius grinned wildly.

"Crazy, I know, mum. But they _are_ related. He's Bill and Fleur Weasley's son."

Louis elegantly waved the explanation aside. "My mother's blond hair and eyes won the genetic lottery three times with my siblings and I...though, my sister Dominique has the famous freckles to prove that our father is indeed a Weasley."

"Fleur, you say?" Mrs. Malfoy brought her manicured finger to rest on her pale cheek. "Where does that sound familiar? Darling?" She turned slightly to question her husband.

Mr. Malfoy shifted uncomfortably as all eyes turned to him. "Fleur Delacour, I believe. She visited Hogwarts in my fourth year as Beauxbaton's champion in the Triwizard Tournament."

"Ah yes!" Mrs. Malfoy smiled at the memory. "That was in my second year. The Daily Prophet said that she was a Veela?"

"One-quarter Veela," Louis supplied helpfully. "Speaking of the Triwizard Tournament, she always complained that Hogwarts was too cold when she visited last time."

"So if it is true," Mrs. Malfoy looked at Louis in a new light. "That makes you part-Veela as well? I've never seen a male Veela before."

Louis shrugged. "I get that a lot. Let's just say that female Veelas enjoy more attention than male ones."

"Astoria..." Mrs. Malfoy turned as her husband addressed her. "Have you forgotten our engagement with your sister's family over at Ollivander's?"

She gasped. "Oh dear, are we late? I'm so sorry, boys," She patted Scorpius on his shoulder. "We have to get going now. You know how your Aunt Daphne gets when we're late."

Scorpius nodded. "Yeah, yeah." He smiled at Al one last time. "I'll write you later, alright? Might as well test ol' Hades' wings that way."

Al grinned. "No problem."

"It was nice seeing you again, Albus, and a pleasure meeting you, Louis," Astoria began to hustle Scorpius out. "Perhaps you can stay over at the Manor again later in the summer, Albus? We'd be happy to take you."

"Mum would love to have me out of her hair!" Al joked. "So, it'd be a pleasure to visit!"

As Scorpius and Al yelled out their goodbyes, Mr. Malfoy trailed behind his family, before turning quickly to address the boys again.

"Give your father my...regards." He responded stiffly. As Al nodded, Mr. Malfoy returned a firm nod back and walked out of the shop.

The both stared at the door in silence.

"I guess its still hard to mend bridges when you've spent most of your life despising each other?" Louis looked at Al, referring to Draco Malfoy. Al shrugged carelessly back.

"Its still a work-in-progress," Al answered back, hope shining in his eyes. "Its the first time Mr. Malfoy ever asked me to give dad his _regards_ though. So, I think its a good sign."

"So, do you think he'll extend the same with Uncle Ron?"

A short raspberry sound escaped from Al's lips. "I said it was a good sign, not a _Christmas miracle_."

_TBC..._


	6. Detour to James

There was a huge commotion near the _Weasley's Wizard Wheeze_, but before Al and Louis could investigate it, they found James sitting in a rather strange contraption near the Quidditch store. Intrigued, they moved for a closer inspection.

James was sitting on a plank which hovered dangerously over a tank filled with water that was large enough to fit him. Beside him was a wall with a bulls-eye and a makeshift table a few feet away, the barrel next to it filled with what looked like miniature Quaffles.

"What in Merlin's name is going on?" Al demanded, not amused when James stuck his tongue out at him in response. "What are you doing?"

"Helpin' _Quality Quidditch Supplies_ with their new product!" James pointed at the miniature Quaffles. "Six knuts for a go, bro."

"What?"

Louis looked interestingly at the bulls-eye. "I'm not familiar with this game."

"Jeez, they should make Muggle Studies a requirement at Hogwarts!" James rolled his eyes. "You grab a ball and try to throw it into the bulls-eye so it'd knock me into the tank-hey, hey! Knock that off!" He threatened when Al immediately grabbed a stone from the ground and tried to throw it, missing the bulls-eye by a good margin. "Pay first, ya idiot!"

Al reached into his pocket and tossed six knuts into the jar on the table. The barrel started shaking and spat out three mini-Quaffles onto the table. He picked one up and examined it.

"So, why are you doing this?" Louis wondered, raising an eyebrow at the grinning Potter.

James' grin grew three sizes that day. "Remember Quinn? The girl I fancied during the winter holidays? Her dad co-owns this store. Just tryin' to get on her good side-and it's not so bad, I get to make fun of every customer that tries to hit me-part of the game, it is. Makes them keep comin' back and spending more knuts. One bloke spent two galleons after I called his girl a ghoul. It's a dream job come true!"

Al threw the ball and missed. James gave out a roar of laughter.

"No wonder you didn't make it on the Quidditch team! You couldn't throw a paper ball at a waste basket if it sat your lap!" The elder Potter laughed some more when Al tried a second time out of a fit of anger and missed again. "I've seen house elves with better aim than that!"

Al growled and tried again, this time forgetting the bulls-eye and aimed right at James' head. The redhead ducked immediately and when he recovered, wagged his tongue at his younger brother in response.

Intensely amused, Louis watched as Al threw in another three sickles and tried again, failing on all accounts.

"You can throw spells, but you can't throw a simple _ball_?" James jeered, waving his arms around extravagantly. "For _SHAME_!"

As Louis laughed when Al started spouting out insults of his own, a slim manicured hand found its way to his arm and gently squeezed it. "_Bonjour_, Louis." He stilled, his laughter ceasing.

Glancing to his right, he found a vividly beautiful young woman staring at him, her heavy kohl blue eyes gazing as unnaturally as his own.

"Dominique," He greeted stiffly before turning fully. "It's a surprise to see you here."

She shrugged gently, her soft blond hair moving perfectly with her. He noticed that she faded the fashionably uneven ends of her hair with black dye, giving it a rather interesting duo-color look. "You do not know, Louis? I thought for sure mother would have owled you the news."

Giving James one last special hand signal, Al spun on his heel back toward Louis and froze at the sight of Dominique. "Dominique!"

"_Bonjour_, Albus," She smiled taking in the boy. "You have grown since the last time I saw you. You're taller than me now. _Très_ _beau_."

Al blushed. "You know me...eating my vegetables and taking vitamin elixirs. What are you doing here? I thought you'd be in Milan right now?"

"Ah, I was about to inform Louis," Dominique played with her leather arm bracelets purposefully, the silver studs glistening in the midday sun. "Uncle George has allowed me to co-own the _RebelWitch_ line. You're looking at the new owner of _RebelWitch Euro_."

"That's fantastic!" Al congratulated heartily, immediately hugging Dominique. Louis looked less than impressed.

While the Weasley family was infamously known for family closeness, Louis' family was another story. Victoire, being the eldest in their generation, simply missed the boat on forging bonds with her other cousins due to the age difference and the closest she pursued was with Teddy Lupin. Dominique, on the other hand simply did not desire to pursue any familial bond, opting to focus on her peers and desire to be famous.

Though there is nothing wrong with that route, she immediately became alienated from their father's family, taking after their mother in pompousness. When confronted with this problem one day, she simply stated that their family was different from the Weasleys in the first place and desired to uphold her mother's traditions, something she and Victoire believed in.

At first, Louis wanted to follow their footsteps as well. He was informed at a very young age that he was special and that being special meant that you were greater than others. Victoire had recommended that they keep their ties with their extended family at a minimum in order to keep their secretive Veela traditions alive.

He had kept the ruse until he met Al. And meeting the boy threw his entire world upside down in ways he could not comprehend. Al brought him closer to his aunts, uncles and cousins-closer to his other family. That was a gift that would be forever cherished.

Of the Delacour-Weasley family, he was the only one looking forward to Christmas holidays and family reunions, something that would tend to upset Dominique whenever he'd break his usually disinterested demeanor into something more human. She always believed that their family was a level above their father's.

It continued to leave a bit of a bitter taste in his mouth.

Dominique at first looked smug, but her expression went out like a light when Al hugged her. Louis frowned as she tentatively released her hold on him.

"_Quel est __le problème,__ Dominique?_" Louis whispered as Al retreated to tell James, who was yelling at them to spill whatever news he couldn't hear from far off. "_Trop célèbre pour notre famille?_"

She said nothing, only staring at him with something akin to revulsion and fear. This puzzled him. Her expression turned back to neutral when Al returned, smiling broadly.

"I think James may hit you up on those double digit discounts," Al said, point his thumb back at the booth. "He 'hinted' that his new girlfriend has been eying a set of dragon hide boots you've got in your glass display."

Dominique raised her perfect eyebrow at James, who winked at her from far off. A small smirk graced her features despite it all. "Our Potter relatives are just brimming with attraction, are they not?" She murmured to herself, but Louis can see that her eyes focused plainly on him. "One wonders of the effects they naturally have in comparison to us, right Louis?"

For some reason, his throat felt dry.

Al grinned sheepishly. "That's just James for you. Always has someone ready for every season. Mum disapproves him playing the field. She says he's changed more girls than his underwear in a month."

"What a charming analogy," Dominique quipped dryly. "But nevertheless effective. Speaking of Potters, your mother and sister are browsing my store as we speak. And they've already beaten your brother for the right to have a discount. Have you visited it yet?"

"We were, but the idea of having to browse with Rose and Roxanne kinda turned us off to it," Al responded, scratching his neck gingerly. "You know how guys are."

"Indeed."

Louis' eyes narrowed as Dominique further invited them to follow, claiming that Rose and Roxanne left to purchase their school supplies and Al's mother was expecting them.

Agreeing to visit the _RebelWitch_ shop when Al began to beg, he acquiesced and followed, Dominique trailed ahead of them regally.

"Hey," Al whispered as he leaned to the side of Louis. "I was kinda afraid to ask, but are the rumors true about Dominique?"

Louis kept a careful eye on Dominique, but answered just as quietly. "Rumors?"

"Yeah," Al continued. "This girl in my House said that Dominique was dating the lead singer from the _Weird Sisters_-but the guy's like, fifty years old now! And I doubt Uncle Bill would approve. I promised her that I'd confirm the rumor myself since it bugged me too."

"Impossible," Louis answered lowly, his eyes watching the way she began to sashay her hips as she passed by a large crowd of witches by the store. They stopped to look. "Her tastes are far be it from the rumor."

Al blinked. "Meaning?"

"_Elle préfère des femmes_," Louis muttered under his breath, so quietly that Al didn't catch it.

"What?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. Just take my word for it."

Dominique stepped to the side of the gleaming gold doors and allowed them into the _RebelWitch_ shop. As Louis was the last person to walk past her, he found her gaze critically directed at him. Suspicious and accusing.

He looked down momentarily to find her shadow visible in the sun look remarkably like the one from the crystal ball in the _Obscurus Books_ store.


	7. RebelWitch

A/N: Bleh, I should've put in the disclaimer that there was bad French involved! XD

But, thank you **Force Rouge** for pointing out the error! I usually stay clear of actually writing a foreign language unless I'm absolutely sure I know what it means (but Louis keeps yelling at me in French to do it right! ::sad face::), but I have corrected the problem. ::hugs and kisses::

* * *

Genuinely perturbed at the state of affairs so far, he was too preoccupied with his thoughts until Al grabbed at his arm excitedly and began to point in all different directions.

"Look at this place! It's amazing!" Al's face lit up in wonder, which prompted Louis to smile minutely as he absorbed the atmosphere.

The _RebelWitch_ store was moderately huge, with gleaming black marble floors and a modern arched ceiling made of a dark hazel wood. There were numerous racks of clothing to the far left, with displays of elaborate robes and fashion conscious teen wear. On the right kept dozens of glass displays of items, ranging from cheap little trinkets and potions designed for external beauty to the rather expensive looking jewelry that seemed goblin-made.

The place was immensely crowded, the gender ratio being that of teenage girls to young women outranking the males. Those brave minorities were curiously browsing the smaller _RebelWizard_ section or waited in boredom by the fitting rooms.

Al immediately went for the _RebelWizard_ aisle. He excitedly stared at a full glass display of a charmed mannequin posing, showing the viewer his fashionably ripped ornate black cloak adorned with silver fastenings.

"Louis! Come look at this! They've got a fusion of muggle and wizarding outfits over here!" Al gestured wildly.

Turning to stare back at Dominique, who gave him a stern stare, he followed after the boy. Al began browsing the trousers rack as Louis admired the displays, curiously finding that the apparel on the mannequin changes according to which piece of clothing you asked it to wear when Al mentioned about a pair of dark gray skinny jeans. Louis stared at it for longer than he should.

"You seem quiet," Al slid over as close to Louis as inconspicuously possible. "Imagining what I'd look like in those jeans?"

Louis allowed himself to smirk. "I've never really seen the attraction on this skinny jean fad. It makes many boys too feminine in appearance," He finally stared at Al. "...unless that was the intention?"

"Are you assuming I want skinny jeans so I can appear more feminine to you?" Al looked back, his expression akin to surprise.

Louis chose his next words carefully, not enjoying the rather uncomfortable stance that Al was sporting. "_Should_ I be assuming?"

Suddenly sheepish with Louis' answer, Al looked away, blushing guiltily. "Maybe...I figured it'd be a bit easier for you, I suppose. You have a lot of female admirers, Louis."

"That means nothing," Louis responded lowly. "Not when I've picked you over _them_. If I wanted a woman, I'd have one. Does that clear your doubts, _chaton_?"

Al visibly shivered at the nickname and finally allowed himself to smile calmly. "I guess."

Louis quickly gripped Al's forearm in reassurance and quickly pulled away. "You should not try so hard for me," He continued, staring back at the display. "I'd rather you not lose circulation in your legs just to please me. You can wear the most ridiculous things and I'd still find you the most appealing."

Al lightened considerably and his toying mood returned. "I think this is a ruse on your behalf," He smirked at Louis. "You're just trying to dissuade me from wearing any clothes at all!"

It was Louis' turn to blush. Turning around as Al began to laugh, he walked right into Dominique, who looked very severe in her stance.

"We need to talk," She turned on her heel and walked towards the back of the store, leaving no room for Louis to answer. Al looked in confusion as Louis waved him off with a reassuring smile and followed after her, something in his chest dropping straight into his stomach.

* * *

Louis felt like he was under an Auror interrogation.

The storage room was spacial in size, but the packages that have been sealed or half-open in boxes towered as high as he was, giving it an almost suffocating feel.

Dominique stood on the other side of the room, her arms folded and her jaw tight.

"_What's going on, Louis_," She said in a biting French. Louis knew it wasn't a request. She was demanding it.

He wondered if she knew about him and Al. Odds were it was the case, but he didn't want to jump to conclusions if it wasn't and end up spilling more than he should. Louis feigned confusion as her eyes turned dark with anger at his thoughtful silence.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." He answered back in English. This seemed to perturb her even more.

"_I can __**smell **__him on you__, Louis!_" She snapped, dropping her arms to point threateningly at him. "_And your scent was all over him when I embraced him._ _**You think I wouldn't notice?**_"

Louis' heart turned to stone, his fears now a reality. He kept his face remarkably passive despite it all. "_You are overreacting_," He finally answered in their native tongue. "_I've been with Al all day. Of course he'd have my scent on him._"

Dominique shook her head stiffly, her blue eyes blazing. "_You play me for an idiot, Louis? I don't just __smell your scent on him! I smell passion-my Veela blood screams a sexual touch when Al touched me! You don't think I know how Veelas mate?_"

She ended her sentence with a shrill yell. Louis brandished out his wand and Dominique looked at it apprehensively. He turned and placed a Silencing Charm on the door.

"_Be silent_," Louis hissed, his own identical eyes darkening. "_I haven't done anything sexual with him._"

"_But you admit that you are in a relationship that eventually becomes a sexual one_," She snarled. "_He shares our blood, Louis! Our kin! A male and underaged!_"

Louis' grip tightened around his wand. She made it sound like he wasn't aware of the consequences, that he was an idiot. "This is none of your concern, Dominique. Stay out of my business!"

She shook her head at him, her eyes alight with suspicion, revulsion and and underlying contempt. "I am disappointed in you, Louis. And this will not end here. You assume that I'll just turn my back and allow you to take advantage of Albus? Even now, he clings to you so whole-heartedly. Tell me, how much magical influence have you pressed on him to the point of obsession?" His rage stirring at her words, he gripped his wand so tightly that small sparks shot out in alarm. "Have you used your Veela influence for years now-grooming the boy for your own?"

Louis never felt so insulted and angered in his life. For the first time, he aimed his wand at his sister.

"I'm not like you," He hissed darkly. Magical energy began to whip around the room, knocking down boxes. "I'd die first before I'd ever use him like that."

She brandished out her own wand, a stark ivory to his dark kingwood model. "I can't take that risk, Louis." When he refused to drop his stance, her voice dropped into a harsh whisper. "You'd raise your wand at me, Louis? Would you kill me to keep this perversion alive? Your own sister?"

Louis began subtly grinding his teeth, seeing the option of killing her to be preferable if this were a humorous situation. But it wasn't. She was purposefully pushing him into a corner, giving him no where else to run.

"Louis? Dominique?" The lone door opened and Al peeked through. "Lily wants to know if she can get a discount on..." He stared at the two siblings, each poised in a tense dueling stance. "...pixie charms. _What's in Merlin's name is going on here?_"

Unrelenting in his stance, Louis answered, his eyes focusing only solely on Dominique. "She knows."

Confused for a moment, he stared at the accusing look Dominique was giving him before it dawned on him. His jaw dropped.

"You can't possibly-!"

Dominique wand slowly moved and Louis' body tensed, ready to strike. "You have been hoodwinked, Albus."

"Be SILENT!" Louis growled and it was Dominique's turn for her body to tense as he flicked his wand menacingly. "You are deluded."

She ignored Louis and stared at Al. "Do you not see, Albus? Your cousin raises his wand against me because I know the truth. Veelas can manipulate the emotions of others-do you honestly believe you went to him on your own accord?"

Al looked at Dominique in disbelief. "Are you saying that his feelings for me aren't genuine?"

"Not his. Yours."

He blinked, dazed by this new bit of information. "_My_ feelings aren't genuine?"

Dominique ducked as red sparks narrowly missed her head. She cast her spell back at Louis, but he deflected it with a Shield Charm.

"Do you want me to strike you again, Dominique?" He threatened softly. "Is this your own attempt at atonement for what you've done?"

She flinched slightly, her eyes widening before immediately narrowing them back down. "I'm not on trial here, Louis."

"Listen!" Al jumped in-between them, forcing them to move their wands from his direction. "Why don't we just relax and talk this out? Wands down, NOW!"

Reluctantly, Louis stiffly dropped his arm. Dominique did the same a second later, her gaze still filled with malice.

"Do what you want, Dominique," Louis whispered lowly, he turned away. "It matters not to me. Tell everyone I influenced him with my inherent abilities if it helps you atone for your own mistakes. But I am not like you and will not make the same mistake that you did on Charlotte with Al."

Dominique tensed immediately at the name and her eyes flashed a look of pain before she steeled herself.

"Who's Charlotte?" Al asked. Dominique said nothing.

"You were so sure of yourself, Dominique," Louis continued. "But being around her wasn't enough for you. Have you forgotten that it was I who found her on the front door of your apartment-confused and scared when she finally snapped out of your influence? Did you honestly think I'd let Al end up the same way as her?"

"Shut up!" Dominique covered her ears as if trying to block Louis out. "It's not my fault! I couldn't control it!"

Louis shook his head. "Lies. You could-you just didn't want to. How could she fully function in her will to love you if she had no preference to you? Did you think it was easy to do so? I wonder how she felt...so conflicted that she nearly was sent to St. Mungos for the mental scarring."

"Stop it, Louis!" She cried out, near to the breaking point of tears. Louis reluctantly fell silent, eying her quietly before moving to the door.

"If you honestly believe that I would hurt Al, then maybe he can persuade you," Louis finally said plainly before smiling gently at Al.

Al nodded and immediately went to Dominique's aid, trying to pry her hands away from her head, which she was clutching in a near death grip. Louis took this distraction to walk out and clear his head. He didn't want to do anything drastic and in his current state of mind he might have.

"You have to sever your relationship with him, Al," Dominique whispered gently. "He could hurt you in the end, just like..." She swallowed. "Just like...me."

Louis paused just as he almost walked through the door. He felt a wave of remorse coming from his sister and he closed his eyes, trying to block it out. He had felt it before after what happened with Charlotte, but he is immune now. He didn't do anything to manipulate Al's feelings. He loved him too much to do that. He respected Al too much to try.

Dominique needed to see that and understand.

_TBC..._


End file.
